Ruger P85 MkII slide getting stuck out of battery

Hi folks. I recently picked up a used P85 MkII in "good" condition, and had a question about its functioning. First, this issue does not affect firing the gun. I just put 100 rounds through it, and there were no jams. The issue is, basically, if I hand cycle the slide and ease it forward, the slide will get stuck about 1/8" out of battery. I then can push the slide forward the rest of the way. Like I said, it doesn't affect live firing, but the P89 I owned in the past wouldn't get stuck out of battery when doing this, so I wonder how normal this is.

Is it normal for this model to have such a tight fit when in battery, or do you suspect that something is amiss? I don't know the history of this gun, and I suspect that the barrel might be a replacement barrel, or maybe the slide is from a different P85. Any thoughts on this?

To further clarify the situation, I made a video of what's happening: https://youtu.be/A95MIk3UIzM

Worn recoil spring? How's the tension seem?

I would take a caliper and measure the inside distance of the slide from front to back and see if the very back "ears" are the same as the rest of the slide. I had a stainless slide that I bought used to put on a black lower and it would not fit for nothing. Finally figured it had been dropped or damaged in shipment and the "ear" on one side was push in a little causing it to stop during install. I bent it back out and she runs fine once again.

Good luck,

The recoil spring tension is adequate, I think, but it's not a worn recoil spring because the slide is getting physically stuck in the "in-battery" position too. It's so tight of a fit that it adds another probably 10 pounds of force that I need to overcome to rack the slide, as compared to another hammer-fired pistol without a sticky slide.

roylt, I don't own a caliper, but I have the gun in front of me now and I'm not quite sure what you are referring to by the slide ears. Not the safety levers? I don't see any obvious signs of being dropped on one of the rear corners of the slide, anyway.

Also, I should clarify that I'm not necessarily seeking advice on how to fix the issue. I am still within the 3 day period of time to return the gun to where I bought it, and am really more just looking for confirmation of my suspicion that no, this is not normal, or else for someone to point out that it's a common issue for this model.

To further clarify the situation, I made a video of what's happening, which I'll add to the OP

https://youtu.be/A95MIk3UIzM

Shoot it. Until it stops shooting I wouldn't worry about it. I have both Walthers 99 and PPS that do the exact same thing, has never affected reliability and as I've fire the 99, its loosened up quite a bit.

At about :17 seconds if you look at the back of the slide where it is hanging off the back of the frame it looks to be scared there like the slide has been dropped. That little pointy part could be bent in toward the frame and hang. Post pictures of the frame with the slide off and we can look for wear marks. If this is bent it may leave marks on the frame where the gray paint is missing.

I would keep it if it shoots fine. Actually surprised you can return it after you have shot it.

Pics with the slide off would tell more to the story for sure.

demented said:

Shoot it. Until it stops shooting I wouldn't worry about it. I have both Walthers 99 and PPS that do the exact same thing, has never affected reliability and as I've fire the 99, its loosened up quite a bit.

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You are correct that the issue doesn't affect shooting; however, I am kind of anal about imperfections in my things. I'm really just wondering if it's normal for the P85 to be this tight. If you own a P85, just a "compare my gun to yours and say 'same' or 'different'"-level of an answer.

roylt said:

At about :17 seconds if you look at the back of the slide where it is hanging off the back of the frame it looks to be scared there like the slide has been dropped. That little pointy part could be bent in toward the frame and hang. Post pictures of the frame with the slide off and we can look for wear marks. If this is bent it may leave marks on the frame where the gray paint is missing.

I would keep it if it shoots fine. Actually surprised you can return it after you have shot it.

Pics with the slide off would tell more to the story for sure.

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I really wish I owned a caliper. I can see that reflection at :17 and it's just a set of scratches that makes the corner of the slide appear bent. In any other lighting, it looks perfectly straight. I can't dismiss the possibility you raised; I just think that the the scratch visible on the slide there is a surface scratch only. Sorry, I don't have a camera handy, but the rear frame rail retains all of its gold anodizing very uniformly.

I can return the gun after I shot it because it's a 30 year old used gun. It already has had probably tens of thousands of rounds through it. Nobody would even be able to tell if there were another 50 rounds fired through it. That said, I would likely sell the gun on Armslist for what I paid for it instead of returning it because I wouldn't have to pay return shipping that way.

Since I don't think you should ride the slide closed in the first place.... I don't see the issue.... let it slam home with the slide release, closer to actual live fire and if that works then you are good to go. Too good looking a gun to let go in my opinion....

the other difficulty in getting rid of it is you first need to disclose 'the problem' of why you are getting rid of it.

blume357 said:

Since I don't think you should ride the slide closed in the first place.... I don't see the issue.... let it slam home with the slide release, closer to actual live fire and if that works then you are good to go. Too good looking a gun to let go in my opinion....

the other difficulty in getting rid of it is you first need to disclose 'the problem' of why you are getting rid of it.

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I want to be as clear as possible about this. There is no issue with the gun. The issue is with me. I'm just trying to find another P85 owner who can either confirm or deny whether this is normal for this model gun. I know it's not normal with other models.

I have a P85 and I just tried to do what you discribed. Mine does not fail to go into battery when easing the slide forward.If I ease the slide down with the safety in the decock position the hammer will not fall, but a slight shake of the gun will cause it to fall. If the safety is in the fire position it will not fail to go into battery.

LGC42 said:

I have a P85 and I just tried to do what you discribed. Mine does not fail to go into battery when easing the slide forward.If I ease the slide down with the safety in the decock position the hammer will not fall, but a slight shake of the gun will cause it to fall. If the safety is in the fire position it will not fail to go into battery.

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Thanks, that's just the info I was looking for.